The Human Resources Development Service of South Korea has allotted nearly 7,000 quotas for Nepali workers in 2019 under the Employment Permit System.

Nearly 2,000 of them will get jobs in agriculture and farming while the remaining 5,000 will be employed in the manufacturing sector, according to the EPS Korea Section under the Department of Foreign Employment, the body responsible for recruitment of Nepalis in South Korea.

The tentative number of Nepalis likely to reach South Korea in 2019 has dropped from the seats allotted for this year. In 2018, the upper limit for Nepali migrants was fixed at 10,200.

“The number seems to have come down from last year but it has not decreased over the years,” said Shobhakar Bhandari, section officer at the EPS Korea section of the government of Nepal.

In 2017, the South Korean government had decided to take 3,100 Nepali workers, the lowest in the past five years. The number bounced back by more than threefold for 2018. South Korea has been a popular job destination among Nepali youth.

After allocating 5,300 jobs for Nepali migrant workers in 2015; 5,700 in 2014; and 5,234 in 2013, the Korean government had demanded 7,100 workers for 2016.

According to Bhandari, the EPS section will be accepting applications for the mandatory Korean Language Test (TOPIK) from the third week of March. Aspiring migrant workers have to take the test, which is likely to be conducted in the second week of June.

A total of 12,108 candidates have passed the mandatory language test for getting job placement in the country this year. As many as 2,585 labour contracts-1,643 in manufacturing and 942 in agriculture and farming—have already been issued.

Five workers reached South Korea last month whereas 23 others are flying on Saturday, according to Bhandari. He added that nearly 3,000 Nepalis will have taken up jobs in South Korea by the end of April.

“We are receiving job contracts regularly. The number will go up in the coming days,” said Bhandari. On February 14 alone, the EPS section received 537 labour contracts from Korea, where a total of 50,424 Nepalis have landed since 2008 through the EPS.